Email subject line and copy ideas for Black Friday and Cyber Monday

So, you’re ready to get cracking on a slew of Black Friday and Cyber Monday (BFCM) email newsletters, huh?

But you can’t quite awaken those creative juices. What’s a good email subject line, you wonder? What’s the right text for the message of the body? 

Such swirling thoughts are enough to paralyze any Shopify merchant. We’re here to intervene with advice and ideas for you to steal.
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Set the framework for your email newsletter

Step one: decide if your message will lean toward promotional or emotional. 

(TLDR: Promotional newsletters are all about an incentive/discount; emotional newsletters focus on the company, a product, a problem the product solves, etc.) 

When you choose the type of email newsletter first, piecing together the text is much easier.  

Before we get to the content ideas, I want to emphasize some points around subject lines. They are where an email’s success — or flop — begins, after all. Bravo to you if you’ve got a following that gobbles up anything you send. But for many, a weak subject line could turn away a segment of subscribers and stop them from seeing the great content inside.

Know that even if you write the most incredible subject lines, holiday emails typically generate lower open rates than regular promos. One study found it’s a 16.8% decline. 

Yet there is a silver lining: holiday emails convert at higher rates. The same report cites Black Friday emails convert at a 33% higher rate than non-holiday newsletters.  

Resist the temptation to slap together a subject line. Put thought into what would motivate subscribers to open your email. Then ensure that the copy and images correlate and are enticing to provoke a site visit. 
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Making the most of BFCM and the holiday season depends on a good plan. Start by mapping out your email calendar.

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Ideas for promotional newsletters

Time to leap into the content you came for: subject line examples plus body copy. I’ve also tossed in considerations for calls to action (CTA) — the language for the ever-important button that leads subscribers to the next step. 

I chunk all suggestions by email send time. 

You'll notice that the message copy is short and sweet. Customize as necessary — keep it brief or feel free to expand slightly — and double-check all grammar. 
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Subject lines 

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‍Early-access BFCM (before Black Friday)

• Early Access to Black Friday Sales
• Today only: ___ for Early Black Friday
• Get a Sneak Peek at Black Friday 👀
• Our Black Friday Sale Starts NOW
• VIPs Only: Early Black Friday Deals
• Get the Black Friday deals before anyone else!

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‍Days of BFCM (Black Friday - Cyber Monday)

• Black Friday Starts Now
• Cyber Monday Starts Now
• Black Friday Deals Just Released
• Free Shipping This Weekend!
• Get ___ this weekend only
• Black Friday Deals Inside
• Cyber Monday Deals Inside

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‍Extended or last chance (after Cyber Monday)

• Sale ends at ___ EST 
• Last chance, ends tonight. __% off
• Don’t miss out! Last chance for ___
• Only 3 hours left to get ___
• ___% Off Extended for Cyber Week!
• Cyber Monday Sale Extended
• Missed our Black Friday Sale? Here's ___% off!
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Text copy 

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‍Early-access BFCM (before Black Friday)

• Early Black Friday Deals Start Now!
• It’s our early Black Friday Event
• Why Wait ‘Till Friday? Get Great Deals Now
• Psst! We’re only letting our VIP fans shop our Black Friday Deals early. Thanks for being a VIP.
• For a limited time, you can get __(discount)___ on all _(product/category)__

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‍Days of BFCM (Black Friday - Cyber Monday)

• We’re only letting our VIPs know about this …
• ___ now on sale, today only. Ends at 9pm EST
• Our Black Friday Sale Starts ____ 
• Get __% off starting NOW
• Black Friday - Limited-time deals are waiting for you
• Black Friday Deals That Delight
• It’s finally here. We don’t do this often. Even we’re excited about this sale. 
• For a limited time, get _(promotion)__ off _(product)__
• Cozy on up to these Black Friday deals

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‍Extended or last chance (after Cyber Monday)

• Black Friday Sale Extended!
• Last chance to get __% off. 
• Sale Ends Tonight
• While supplies last (and we’re running out)
• We extended the sale one more day, but we’re closing it down at 9pm ET tonight. 
• Don’t miss out on these deals, it only happens once a year.
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CTAs

Shop Now

Claim My Offer

Shop Gifts

Shop Black Friday/Cyber Monday Deals

Shop Now and Save! 

Start Shopping

See My Deals

Apply Discount

Shop the Sale

See the Deals

Get __% off Now!
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Ideas for emotional newsletters

For those who don’t want to lead with a heavy incentive — i.e., merchants that sell luxe products, make their items by hand, or have low margins — take a look at these emotion-driven subject lines, text copy and CTAs. 

You’ll notice that some text includes an incentive, which is secondary to the prime message. 

Again, examples are organized by send date. 
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Subject lines 
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Early-access BFCM (before Black Friday)

• First Look: Our NEW ___
• Shop Our New Holiday Line
• ❄️ Preview the Winter Collection ❄️
• Limited Time: Free Gift with Purchase
• Shop Local! Shop Smart! Extra ___ Off!

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‍Days of BFCM (Black Friday - Cyber Monday)

• Black Friday: Shop Local and Get ___% Off
• We’re Thankful for You
• Cyber Monday Exclusives
• Your Ultimate Gift Guide
• New: Perfect Holiday Gifts
• Check Out Our New ___

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‍Extended or last chance (after Cyber Monday)

• Have you seen our new holiday styles?
• We’ve only got a few of these left …
• Last Chance to Get ___ 
• Don’t Miss Out On ___
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Text copy

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‍Early-access BFCM (before Black Friday)

• Start the season off right. Take a look at our new styles and collections.
• Sneak peek: we’ve got new items that just landed on the site. You get to see them first. 
• Free Gift with Purchase
• As a special thank you for being a fan, this holiday season we’re giving away something special with each purchase
• Shop early and save, _____ for a limited time. 

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‍Days of BFCM (Black Friday - Cyber Monday)

• We’ve got new __ that just launched. Take a look.
• Thanks for being a fan, enjoy ____ today!
• We know you have a choice when you shop. We appreciate that you shop locally, and remember the small businesses. 
• Take an additional ___ as our way of saying thanks. 

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‍Extended or last chance (after Cyber Monday)

• Black Friday sales are winding down. So if you missed ours in the hustle and bustle, take a look now. 
• Final call. We’re shutting the sale down later today, but wanted to make sure you had a chance to shop. 
• Our newest arrivals have just launched. We’ve got ___ and ___ just in time for the holidays. 
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CTAs

Learn More

See More

See the Styles

Indulge Me

Let's Go!

Find My Style

See What's New

Find Out More

Show Me More

Treat Myself

Get First Dibs

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Ring in the BFCM sales: extra resources

We hope the above suggestions will lead to a smooth process of creating your BFCM email subject lines, body copy and CTAs. Plop out any idea and use it as is, or thicken it up if you want to give your audience more. 

Anyone aiming to take their messages up a notch should check out these other resources: 

• How to define your unique selling proposition so you can bring more subscribers to your shop  
• Black Friday Cyber Monday Lookbook, loaded with spectacular email marketing newsletters and campaigns from various brands
• BFCM Email Masterclass, a comprehensive guide to preparing your email marketing program  

Now time to get those BFCM ideas on the page!